Island life

Other stuff to do on the Isle of Wight

You’re 51 years too late to see Jimi

It was late August 1970 when Jimi Hendrix gave his last ever UK performance at the Isle of Wight Festival. Less than three weeks later he was dead after overdosing on sleeping pills. In 2020 the festival itself fell prey to the pandemic, but it will return – fingers crossed – in June 2021. You just have to decide between Lionel Richie and Lewis Capaldi (isleofwightfestival.com).

Drink and be driven

Music not your thing? How about a pub crawl on a bus? The annual Isle of Wight Beer And Buses Weekend (iwbeerandbuses.co.uk) takes place in October and involves an army of vintage buses that ferry people – for free – between pubs and clubs to enjoy the island’s boozy hospitality. It’s a very pleasant way to spend your recovery day.

That’s all in the past now

History buffs can visit 900-year-old Carisbrooke Castle, where King Charles I was imprisoned before his execution in 1649. Or for a bit more opulence try Osborne House, an Italian-inspired mansion near East Cowes that was Queen Victoria’s favourite getaway.